Jason Mittell
As commenter
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Outsourcing
Frank, Definitely the activation of viewer/reader memory can blur the episodic/serial distinction enough that fans can serialize anything themelves! I think the question is not more or less seriality, but rather the possibility of comprehension without kn ... -
Acknowledging failure
A really interesting aspect of this is how Damon & Carlton acknowledged the failure, highlighting a key aspect of contemporary TV paratexts. How much they (or Ron Moore about the BSG episode "Black Market") were reacting to fan discontent, o ... -
Failure to Join
Karen & Cory, You both point to a chief challenge of the defining tenets of US TV- "success" is defined by infinite continuity, while endings are signs of failure. A one-season wonder like Terriers could be seen as over nine hours of excelle ... -
A Landmark Failure
Twin Peaks is a great case study for "failure," because it probably had a bigger bang than any 30-episode cancellation in American TV history- both in its initial sensation and later backlash, as well as its continued cultural memory. (I just sc ... -
Age and Appeals
Great clips & conversation! I'm not convinced that E&B have been marginalized for their age exactly- they were always outside the "street" culture, appearing primarily within their home, rather than interacting with the core group o ... -
Gendered & gamer appeals
It's long been a staple of programming logic for kids is that girls will watch boy shows, but boys won't watch girl shows. So the "boy-driven, girl-inclusive" model is pretty common, although you're right Amanda, that this brand o ... -
Dual appeal & YouTube
The dual appeal typified here by Sesame Street is part of a long tradition of kids' media reaching back to animation of the 1930s and before, often using racy content and pop culture references as a code for adults to enjoy alongside their (presumabl ... -
Brand marketing
Amanda- I think it's like any product: brand awareness and positive association is more central than direct sales. They want everyone to feel like Sesame Street is a positive entity, and that it's still on the cutting edge after 40 years, even i ... -
Casting Intertextuality
Nice post and discussion- there's definitely a trend throughout TV history to assume that what's happening in primetime genres is self-contained, rather than part of a larger continuity across timeslots, channels, and audience segments. What str ... -
To follow Roberta's tangent,
To follow Roberta's tangent, the example of user-created wikis are even more problematic, as many academics are also participants in creating & editing wikis. I'm an avid Lostpedian, and was one of the SysOps during the Lost Experience- the ...